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Cholesterol

Blood lipids are a major cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Higher levels of LDL cholesterol and lower levels of HDL cholesterol are associated with higher heart disease risk. While this has been known for some time, it is only in recent decades that effective treatments to substantially lower LDL cholesterol have become available.

More recently, CTSU’s THRIVE trial has shown that a previously widely used drug niacin, which lowers LDL cholesterol and raises HDL cholesterol, had no beneficial effect on major cardiovascular outcomes and was associated with a number of potentially serious side-effects.

Our most recent large randomised trial REVEAL is testing whether there are additional benefits of treating patients with vascular disease who are already receiving statins with a new class (CETP inhibitors) of cholesterol-modifying drug (anacetrapib). The results will be announced in 2017.